BOSTON, MASS.- RR Auction's April Fine Autograph and Artifact sale features an impressive selection of pop culture material with online bidding through April 12, 2019.

Highlights include a one-of-a-kind original mixed-media artwork by Peter Max,featuring a color photograph of Princess Diana during a trip to Africa affixed at the center, overpainted around the edges in psychedelic colors by Max (preserving her face), and similarly painted in the borders. Signed at the bottom in paint, "Max." Handsomely double-matted and framed.

The consignor notes that he purchased this from a Red Cross benefit auction held shortly after Princess Diana's death; this was one in a series of many portraits Max did of the late princess. Of his famed subject, the artist related: 'There were so many facets of Princess Diana. One portrait was not enough; it took several paintings to capture her many wonderful aspects. It was truly a great honor to paint her. She was a warm, loving, compassionate person, a lady of exceptional style, grace and fashion and a regal princess.' A bold and vibrant pop culture piece from the great pop artist.

Also up is Andy Warhol's personally-owned 14K white gold Elgin Crusader pocket watch, measuring 1.75″ in diameter, with a back that opens to reveal an ornate engraved filigree pattern, along with the make and model. The center of the open back reads "Pat's Pending, 14 Karat, 11688, 54," and the opposite side is etched, "Elgin Crusader." The face is white with gold Arabic numerals and gold hands, and has an inset seconds dial. Provenance: The Andy Warhol Collection, Sotheby's, April 1988.

Warhol had an appreciation of art which translated into his penchant for luxury watches. He was once quoted as saying: 'I don't wear a [Cartier] Tank watch to tell the time. In fact, I never wind it. I wear a Tank because it's the watch to wear.' Warhol himself was an avid collector of watches, said to own over 300 pieces, the most beloved of which he kept in a canopy hung over his bed. This superb, sophisticated timepiece is an exceptional example boasting exquisite provenance.

The online auction also features John F. Kennedy's spindle-style rocking chair from his suite at the Carlyle Hotel in New York City. The chair features a dark mahogany-stained oak wood frame with a woven natural cane seat and back. This was one of two rockers kept in his personal suite at the Carlyle, which he frequented so often that it became known as the 'New York White House' during his presidency.

After Kennedy's assassination in 1963, the Carlyle's resident manager, Samuel Toojay, commissioned a hotel furniture liquidator to dispose of the suite's contents. An admirer of the late president, the liquidator accepted the two rockers as part of his sales commission: they became the centerpieces of a 'Kennedy shrine' in his home.

President Kennedy became famous for his rocking chair, which he used to alleviate his chronic back pain after a recommendation from his personal doctor Janet G. Travell.

He is known to have owned about fourteen similar chairs, which he put anywhere he frequented—in the Oval Office, White House residence, his getaways in Hyannis Port and Palm Beach, his suite at the Carlyle, and even aboard Air Force One.

The Carlyle became the site of frequent meetings with friends and dignitaries alike, his visitors ranging from Marilyn Monroe to Secretary of State Dean Rusk.

“With numerous famous images showing JFK in his rocking chair, it has become one of the enduring symbols of his presidency,” said Bobby Livingston, Executive VP at RR Auction.

Other top items include a letter by Queen Elizabeth I, a Henry David Thoreau handwritten manuscript page, an important letter by Thomas Jefferson about the Bonaparte family, a rare check by Charles Darwin, and a handful of vintage Topps baseball card sets.

The Fine Autographs and Artifacts Auction from RR Auction will conclude on April 12.


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